Somehow We'll Survive
by Lydiann Biohazard
Summary: A routine case turns deadly when a few of the team members are held hostage and it's a race against time as they figure out how to save themselves and each other. 'Flacino', D/L, Mac/Jo
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: 'Chain Reaction' will still be written...this idea just popped into my head and would not leave me alone! It takes place between season 7 and 8. It will take a while before the whole kidnapping thing goes down..._**

**_Disclaimer: I own no one but the OCs. Everyone else goes to their rightful owners._**

**_Summary: What seemed like an ordinary murder case goes awry as the victim's past comes to light, revealing ties to some of the most organized crimes in New York City history. When desperate times call for desperate measures, the team races to save some of their own and it's survival of the fittest._**

**_Pairings: Flack/OC 'Flacino', D/L, and Mac/Jo_**

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><p><em>Let me be the one you call<br>If you jump, I'll break your fall_

_If you need to fall apart  
><em>_I can mend a broken heart  
>If you need to crash<br>Then crash and burn, you're not alone_

Savage Garden — Crash and Burn

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><p>"Good morning, Mama!" a cheery voice chirped. Isabella opened her eyes to see her three year old daughter, Aiden smiling back at her. Aiden was Isabella's mirror image, from the wavy raven hair, to the wide smile that stretched across her entire face. She wore dinosaur footie pajamas and she looked expectantly at her mother, clearly expecting a greeting.<p>

"Mornin', honey bun," Isabella replied. Without warning, Aiden leaped onto the bed, landing on her father. Don let out a grunt.

"Morning, Daddy!" Aiden said, sitting on her father's stomach. If Don hadn't been awake before, he was now. He looked up at his daughter, an amused look on his face.

"See, Don? I told you, if she's awake, so are we," Isabella reminded him, scooping up the excited toddler into her arms and getting out of bed. Aiden had Don wrapped around her little finger, and anyone else she came in contact with. She was an irresistible little girl.

"I don't have to go in till ten," Don complained. Isabella perched her daughter onto her narrow hip and studied her husband.

"Then you won't mind dropping her off at daycare," she replied as she walked out of the room. As she settled Aiden into her booster seat, she looked at her.

"Well, kiddo, it's Tuesday, so I believe that it's..." Isabella trailed off. It was Aiden's favorite game to guess what was for breakfast in the morning.

"Eggs and bacon!" Aiden squealed. Isabella chuckled as she set the pan on the stove. After glancing at the clock, she saw that her daughter had woken her up just in time. She had to be at work in an hour and a half, if she wasn't called on scene first.

"Uh-oh. Looks like Daddy's going to have to make you breakfast, honey," Isabella said as she walked quickly out of the kitchen.

"But Daddy aways burns bacon!" Aiden protested from the kitchen. Isabella nudged her husband quickly.

"Don, I gotta get ready for work, otherwise I'm gonna be late," she informed him. If he heard her, he paid no mind.

"Donald Joseph Flack Jr, get up now."

Still nothing.

"Don, I'm leaving you and taking Aiden to Canada." Still nothing. With a roll of her eyes, she jerked the covers off of her husband. He had the advantage as far as size went, standing at six foot two. Isabella only stood at five foot two.

Height meant nothing to her. She grabbed his arm and locked her knees to pull her husband out of bed.

"The Rangers were sold to a poor coal miner in Utah." Not even the news of the Rangers got him up.

"C'mon, Don! I'm gonna be late!" she complained. When he still didn't respond, she only had one weapon left in her arsenal. She crawled onto the bed and snuggled up next to him, pressing gentle, sucking kisses to his neck. He groaned low in his throat as she continued the little kisses on his skin.

"How do you ask?" he finally mumbled. Isabella chuckled as she kissed him on the lips.

"Please?" she murmured. He chuckled and laced his arm around her waist.

"You're unfair, you know that?" he asked. She let out a soft laugh.

"It's what I'm here for," she replied.

* * *

><p>"You're late," Jo called as Isabella rushed off the elevator. The petite CSI blew her bangs out of her face as she looked at the older woman with her tired blue eyes.<p>

"Well, Jo, it was crazy this morning. My alarm clock didn't go off and Aiden woke me up. Then Don decided he wanted to sleep in and wouldn't get up," she explained, moving her hair out of her face.

"Did you threaten to leave him and take his daughter to Canada like I suggested?" Jo asked. Isabella let out a soft chuckle.

"Not even when I said that his favorite team was sold to a poor coal miner in Utah," she replied. She looked down at her files and knew she had a job to do.

"Give me those files, I'll put them away. Mac wants you and Lindsay at the scene in Williamsburg," Jo said, holding out her hands. Isabella gave the older woman a grateful smile and handed her the paperwork.

The warehouse was reminiscent of stereotypical Mafia movies with its dim lighting, ragged exterior, moans and groans of an old house, and its musty stench. Danny's replacement was starting today, and it would be interesting to see who Mac had selected. Isabella had seen his résumé firsthand and had to admit, it was impressive.

"Hey, Tony Montana," Isabella greeted her friend as she set down her kit. Lindsay looked up at the Carolinian native.

"Hey, it's Vito Corleone," she returned with a smile.

"How'd Danny go off on his first day of school?" Isabella joked as she flicked open her kit and retrieved her gloves. Lindsay shook her head, her smile remaining. Danny Messer started his first day as Detective Sergeant Messer this morning, so it would be a running joke for a while.

"He did fine, but he called me every other hour to say that he missed working with us and to tell you not to corrupt me," she answered as she stood up. Someone cleared their throat and Isabella looked up. It was a man, about medium-height and medium build. His light brown hair was cropped short, spiked out a bit. Glasses were perched on his face, sliding down a bit on his nose, calling attention to a pair of large doe-brown eyes. All in all, Isabella assessed a nerd, from his khaki slacks to his coral pink polo shirt. A nerd who had to be in his late-thirties, early forties.

"Hey, I'm Carter Sanders, the new CSI," he said. Isabella stood up and slid her hand out of her glove to shake his hand.

"Isabella Flack," she introduced herself. His eyes fell to her hand awkwardly and she let it fall.

"Ah, yes. I've seen your résumé, Miss Flack, and I look forward to working with you," he said. Isabella felt a ball of annoyance in her belly as she surveyed him.

"It's Mrs," she automatically corrected before catching herself. Carter smirked before looking at the body. And Lindsay. His eyes roved over her appreciatively, which caused Isabella's annoyance to grow. This man knew who he was replacing, yet he had the utter gall to check out his predecessor's wife. He went from nerd to asshole in the span of fifteen seconds.

"That's Lindsay Messer."

Lindsay chuckled to herself before pulling out her processing tools. Carter suddenly looked horrified as he looked at her.

"The victim's name is Ivan Popov, and he is forty years old," Don's thick Queens accent caused Isabella's smile to grow. Then sour as the name 'Popov' registered. Russian Mafia name. Italian and Russian Mafias did not mix well, especially not Hombre Lama and Mstiteli, or Shadow's Blade and Avengers. Hombre Lama was the Pacino crime family, with ties all over the Brooklyn, and now the Harlem area. They were quickly on their way to be the most feared gang in New York City, much to Isabella's intense chagrin. She was the eldest niece of the head of Hombre Lama, a spot that used to belong to her father. Antonio Pacino ran it differently than his father had.

"Who found him?" Isabella asked her husband quietly. When they were at work, they were Detective Don Flack and CSI Isabella Flack. She referred to herself as Detective Pacino-Flack usually, but it was easier to address herself as CSI Flack.

"One of the maintenance workers," he replied, flipping open his memo pad. Ivan Popov was face-down on the ground, his limbs sprawled out. He reminded Isabella of a linebacker as she looked at him with curious eyes. Was Ivan Popov a member of Mstiteli?

"Hasn't this place been abandoned for over a decade?" she mused aloud as she bent down outside of the blood pool that had gathered near the victim's head.

"Huh. I'll look into it," Don said, his face clearly showing thought. She smiled encouragingly at her husband and swabbed the blood pool to check for any source of drugs. It was her way of meticulous processing.

"Who's this?" he asked in a low voice, looking over at Carter. She stood up and set the swab in a box, placing it into her kit.

"Danny's replacement, Carter Sanders. He's kind of pompous, so good luck," she muttered to him as she passed by.

"Hey, you must be the new CSI. I'm Don Flack," Don said, extending a hand. Carter looked smoothly at Don's hand and Isabella felt a twinge of sadness as her husband dropped his hand. Okay, this was getting stupid. The job wasn't about making friends, but this guy was really getting on her nerves.

"So, Carter, where are you from?" Isabella asked, trying to make conversation as she continued processing. She shone her flashlight to and fro across the beams above their heads.

"New Orleans," he replied. A broad smile spread across her features.

"So you worked for Detective Bonasera," she commented. His eyes hardened as he looked at her.

"You knew Stella?" he asked. Isabella nearly dropped her flashlight as she bit back a comment. Of course she knew Stella. She wouldn't have said she knew her if she didn't know her.

"Yeah, Stella worked here before Jo did," she replied, her voice thin. Oh boy, there was a lot to teach this guy.


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Alright! Now that that's down...I'll go ahead and do it from Lindsay's point of view..._**

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><p><em>This world keeps spinning faster<em>

_To a new disaster, so I run to you_

_I run to you, baby_

_When it all starts coming undone_

_Baby, you're the only one I run to_

_I run to you_

Lady Antebellum — I Run To You

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><p>"Lindsay, wake up," Danny's voice cut through her sleep-hazed mind as she lifted her head groggily.<p>

"Sorry, did I sleep in again?" she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.

"Not yet, but if we're not ready to walk out the door in an hour, we're both gonna be late and it's not polite to be late on your first day of your new job," he replied. When her eyes opened wider, she saw her husband in a wife-beater and sweatpants and Lucy perched on his hip. Her honey-blonde hair was pulled into pigtails, her tiny body clad in pink flowered pajamas and her teddy bear clung tightly in her arms.

"Alright, I'm up," Lindsay said, swinging her body out of bed. When she stood up, she took Lucy from Danny and walked into the kitchen. Lucy was fairly simple to give breakfast to in the morning, she merely wanted Cheerios and a banana. That gave Lindsay time to get her clothing out for the morning and her shower ready.

"Alright, switch!" Danny said, breezing past her. She looped her arm through her husband's as she swung him around.

"Not so fast, cowboy," she told him, making him stand to face her. His tie was crooked and wrinkled. "Oh great, you've been borrowing Flack's ties again, haven't you?" She made a face as she pulled it off of his neck. It was a hideous Pepto-Bismol pink and she tossed it into their closet.

"That happens to be my favorite tie, Montana," he joked. She rolled her eyes as she rifled through his tiny collection.

"Honestly, you'd think since that once that man got married, that he would have better ties," she sighed as she finally selected the least-heinous of them all. After fixing his tie, she fidgeted with the collar. "There." He now looked a bit more professional in a suit, but she preferred his plainclothes look. It suited him better.

"Go get your shower, I'll get Lucy dressed," he said, kissing her cheek in thanks. She waved him off with a smile and disappeared to get ready.

* * *

><p>"Knock 'em dead, babe!" Lindsay called as he closed the door to the 1st precinct. When he looked glum to see her leave, she fought a smile and waved. They had already dropped Lucy off at daycare and she was now to report to a scene in Williamsburg, all the way near Brooklyn. She smiled to herself as she was able to turn up the radio to country music and Lucy's new favorite song 'Love Done Gone' by Billy Currington came on. All the little three year old knew was what they sang after the chorus, but it didn't stop her from making up her own lyrics.<p>

"Wike snow cones when the hot sun comes, wike weaves on twees when autumn comes!" the little girl would shout. Lindsay's smile remained on her face as she thought of her daughter's bright smile as the song would progress. Lucy Messer loved her country music.

She pulled up to the lab to clock in and grab one of the trucks to go to the scene.

"Good morning, Mac, Hawkes, and Adam," she greeted them in a rush, breezing her way to the locker room to clock in.

"Why, Miss Lindsay, so nice to see you here bright and early," Jo said with a warm smile. Lindsay smiled at her before setting her card back into the holder.

"I had to drop Lucy off at daycare and Danny at the 1st," she explained.

"How did he take being a big boy at his job?" Jo asked, her brown eyes warm with amusement. Lindsay let out a chuckle and fixed her jacket.

"He took it surprisingly well, I'm just anxious to get to work," she answered. "He said he'd give me updates on the exciting life as a Detective Sergeant."

"Well, there's a scene in Williamsburg. Isabella's going to meet you there, and don't forget that the new CSI is working today," Jo said. Lindsay nodded and swiped a set of keys to the Avalanche, plus Jo's sticky note to the scene.

It turned out she was the first CSI to arrive on scene.

"Aw, I'm Tony Montana without Vito Corleone," she commented as she looked at the body. It was hers and Isabella's inside joke to call each other by movies with Al Pacino in it, a play on Isabella Flack's maiden name, 'Pacino'. Since Lindsay hailed from Montana, she became Tony Montana. Since Isabella had Mafia ties, she became Vito Corleone, despite the fact that Al Pacino hadn't played that character.

"For now, we have John Doe until we get an official ID," Officer Ariel replied. Lindsay bent down next to the body, opening her kit.

"Hey, Tony Montana," Isabella said, her Southern drawl calling attention to those around her. Lindsay smiled at her nickname and turned her attention to the North Carolina native.

"Hey, it's Vito Corleone," she greeted her. Isabella set down her kit, her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"How'd Danny go off on his first day of school?" she joked as she opened it. Her strange blue-flame eyes were dancing with mirth as she looked at Lindsay over her shoulder.

"He did fine, but he called me every other hour to say that he missed working with us and to tell you not to corrupt me," Lindsay answered as she stood up. The sound of someone clearing their throat caused the two women to turn their heads. This must be the new CSI.

He was medium height and medium build, with light brown hair and glasses on his face. He wore a pair of khaki slacks and a coral pink polo shirt, looking more like a golfer than a cop. Lindsay surveyed her own attire; a button-up white blouse and black jeans. Professional, yet comfortable and stylish. This guy looked fresh from the country club.

"Hey, I'm Carter Sanders, the new CSI," he said. Isabella stripped off a glove to extend a hand to him.

"Isabella Flack," she introduced herself. When Carter didn't respond, Isabella let her hand drop.

"Ah, yes. I've seen your résumé, Miss Flack, and I look forward to working with you," he said. Lindsay watched silently as Isabella's eyes narrowed.

"It's Mrs," she snapped, clearly annoyed. She hated being called 'Miss'. In her words: "I'm married, by God! Call me Mrs!"

Carter smirked, but gave no apology as he turned his attention to the body. Lindsay squirmed a bit as his eyes, a doe brown, came to rest on her. It was an unpleasant, eerie feeling, that was for sure.

"That's Lindsay Messer," Isabella's voice caused Carter's head to turn and Lindsay fought a smile of triumph, but settled for a low chuckle. Leave it to the feisty Southerner to have her back. The sound of Flack's voice caused all three heads to turn.

"The victim's name is Ivan Popov, and he is forty years old," Flack's thick Queens accent caused Isabella's smile to grow as her husband came into view. Six years together off and on, married for three years, and the man still had that woman smiling like a silly schoolgirl.

"Who found him?" Isabella asked, her tone quiet.

"One of the maintenance workers," he replied. His stormy blue eyes rested on Carter, but he said nothing. Lindsay continued her way of processing as she stepped lightly around crates to find a way of exit. She could hear Isabella's annoyance at the new guy and shook her head. Isabella wasn't one to greet change with wide open arms.

The sound of her phone ringing caught her attention, as Shania Twain's "You're Still The One" chimed through the air. It was Danny, of course. She answered her phone with a smile.

"Wow, two hours passed already?" she joked as she cradled the phone between her shoulder and her cheek.

"You're not supposed to talk on the phone while you work, Detective Messer," Carter Sanders' voice caused her to jump.

_"Sounds like a real winner," Danny commented. _Lindsay adjusted her phone to her other side, ignoring Carter.

"Yo, back off, she's talking to her husband!" Isabella hollered across the warehouse. Danny's laugh nearly caused Lindsay to drop her phone.

_"Tell Isabella thanks," he said. _

"I'll inform Detective Taylor," Carter threatened. Lindsay sighed deeply.

"Danny says thanks, Izzy!" she called. "I'd better go, babe. Don't wanna get in trouble on my first case by myself, you know, without you here."

"Tell Danny I said to play nice with the other kids!" Isabella called. Lindsay chuckled.

"Iz says to play nice with the other kids," she informed him.

_"Alright, Linds, I love you," Danny said. _She smiled to herself.

"I love you too," she replied, hanging up the phone. Isabella stood a mere two feet away from Carter, her blue eyes blazing.

"Look here, bucko, I know you're new here and all, but we got a code that we live by, called _respect_. I'm gonna let it slide 'cause you're new, but don't expect me to be so gracious next time, 'cause I won't. You talk to Lindsay like that ever, let alone while she's on the phone with her husband, who was just promoted to Detective Sergeant, I will make your life a living hell, bro," she told him, poking him in the chest with each word. Lindsay touched the younger woman on the arm, patting it.

"It's okay, Isabella, Danny just wanted to check in. The timing wasn't perfect, but it's okay," she told her. She nearly lost her self-control as Isabella did the "I'm-watching-you" gesture to Carter.


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N: Okay, that was pretty fun! So, now it will switch back and forth between Lindsay and Isabella's points of views...possibly a little bit of Don's and Danny's points of view later on as well! I hope more reviews come through, they're so fun! _**

**_ioanhoratio: Thank you! Actually, Isabella is my main OC and probably my best! Hers and Lindsay's friendship always makes me smile, they just sort of took on their own little spin. I loved writing the family lives of the Flacks and Messers, and as for little Lucy, how could someone not adore her? Thank you for such a wonderful review!_**

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><p><em>"Grab the bull by the horns"<em>

_The old adage goes_

_Nobody tells you where to go from there_

_It seems like fate's pulling you_

_Decisions have to be made_

_The best path is the hardest earned_

Atreyu — Becoming the Bull

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><p>Lindsay walked into the Trace Analysis lab, holding up the papers from Sid, the medical examiner.<p>

"Prints confirm the ID on the victim. His name really is Ivan Popov, and he has ties to Mstiteli, the Russian Mafia," she announced. Isabella's jaw dropped, hanging as she looked at Lindsay. She snatched the paper from her hand scanned it, her eyes narrowing with each word. Ivan had been locked up multiple times for assault on an officer, committing hate crimes, vandalism, drug possession with intent to sell, drug trafficking, prostitution, with ties to Mstiteli. The victim had a rap-sheet as long as the Empire State Building was tall as Isabella flipped the pages as the charges continued. How was this man not put away for life?

"Your eyes tell me a different story," Lindsay commented. Isabella shook her head.

"Mstiteli means 'Avenger' in Russian, and the Russian Mob does not get along well with the Italian Mob, particularly SB," she explained, setting it onto the table. The sneer on Carter's face caused her anger to rise when she looked up. He knew she had ties to SB and he was subconsciously calling her out.

"Are you going to consult your _confidential informants_?" He exaggerated the words with a scoff, causing Isabella's patience to shorten that much more.

"I don't need to," she snapped. "I know how to do my job and I don't consult the family unless it's for something direly important, like life or death."

With that, she handed the papers to Lindsay and walked out of the TA lab and towards the break room. Right now, she needed something to soothe her nerves.

She smiled when she saw Adam busily pouring a cup of coffee. "Adam," she singsonged, hugging the tech. He whirled around, his azure eyes wide in surprise.

"Whoa, Izzy, sorry, you scared me," he said, fidgeting with the Styrofoam cup. Isabella let out a soft laugh and patted his shoulder. Seeing Adam always brightened her day, the skittish lab tech brought joy to her. She couldn't explain it, but she enjoyed Adam Ross.

"Sorry about that, I thought you could hear the thunder of my storm cloud," she said as she stretched onto her toes to find a box of tea. Her fingers groped an empty shelf as she was forced to strain even higher, stretching her torso that much more to find the box of peppermint tea.

"I need someone tall!" she grunted as she strained more. She was on the verge of being on her toe like a ballerina, her body stretched to her limit.

"What are you trying to reach?" she heard Carter ask. Her annoyance grew and branched out as the footsteps of his expensive shoes grew closer. She stood flatfoot and placed her hands onto her hips.

"The tea," she finally responded, her tone curt. Her hands slid into her back pockets as she watched Carter reach up and peer at the contents of a box.

"Wow, you really ran out of height this time, didn't you?" Danny Messer's Staten Island accent caused her head to turn and a smile to spread widely across her face.

"I have to train them to fear me somehow, Messer," Isabella replied, giving him a tight hug. She really did miss him. Working at the lab wasn't the same without him.

"I think it's something they'll learn on their own, shorty," he commented. When Carter came up empty, Danny set down bags and hopped onto the counter.

"Now, why didn't I think of that?" she muttered to herself.

"What are you looking for?" he asked, looking down at her with a smirk.

"Peppermint or green tea," she requested. He chuckled and came down, his Converses hitting the tile. Even in a power suit, he still wore those Converses.

"Checking out my ass?" he teased, elbowing her in the ribs playfully. Isabella's eyes rolled skywards as she shook her head.

"Keep dreaming, Messer. I have my husband's ass to stare at," she retorted as he tossed her the box of tea. Carter had already left, which Isabella was grateful for.

"How's my replacement?" he asked, taking a swig of a water bottle. Isabella rolled her eyes again as she opened the box of tea.

"He's an overbearing jackass with a superiority complex," she answered as she set the tea kettle on the stove.

"Man, Mac would have a field day with this guy if he saw him in the field," Danny mused. He was clearly thinking about the phone call from this morning. When Isabella looked at the elevator, she saw her husband walking off.

"Heard you guys got a hit," he said, poking his head in. His grin lit up his face as he stepped into the room to slap Danny on the back. "Look, it's the Detective Sergeant gracing us with his presence."

"My replacement's an overbearing jackass and you're married to a jackass of his own breed," Danny said to Isabella out of the corner of his mouth. Isabella let out a peal of laughter.

"Wait, I didn't hear of the hit," she said, looking up at Don. He frowned.

"It must have just happened, because I just got off of the phone with Lindsay. She said she had a hit off some trace and...I dunno, she started talking about chemistry and the chemical names for stuff," he replied. She smiled up at him.

"You blocked it out, didn't you?" she accused him playfully. He laced his arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head.

"No one can talk nerdy to me like you, baby," he growled in her ear.

"Alright, you two, get a room," Danny said, opening a bag.

"Technically, we are in a room," Isabella pointed out, looking over Don's shoulder to look for Lindsay. "I'll go talk to Lindsay about that trace. And ask why it wasn't run by me first. I swear, if Carter Sanders has something to do with it..."

She shook her head and walked out of the break room, hunting for Lindsay Messer. Her eyes scanned each lab before they rested on the petite form of the pretty brunette, busily checking trace.

"Your husband's in the break room with suspected food," Isabella informed her as she leaned against the doorway. Lindsay looked up, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"We need to check out Ivan Popov's home. This case just got very interesting," she announced.

* * *

><p>The mystery trace from Ivan's shoes had taken them near to where he lived, in a patch of woods nearby. Isabella tried to keep her steps light as she walked along the warmly lit summer path in the woods.<p>

"Mass Spec puts it in somewhere in this area," Lindsay called. The mineral had a certain kind of fertilizer in it that led them to the woods. Isabella stepped down the hill, keeping her heels in the loose dirt. Her foot hit a root, causing her to fly backwards and slide along on her rear end all the way down the hill.

"Dadgum hill!" she growled, standing up. When she finally stood up and dusted off the seat of her pants, she took a step and hit a grate. "Linds, there's something down here."

Isabella bent down and dusted the dirt and mulch off of the leather of her boots and she stomped on the concrete near the grate, trying to keep her eyes on it.

"Call Jo and Sanders," Lindsay instructed once she reached the bottom of the hill. She bent down next to it, sliding on a pair of gloves to try and lift the grate by herself. She strained against it, letting out a grunt.

"Hey, Jo, it's Izzy. Me and Lindsay found something and we need help checking it out," Isabella said into her cellphone, recording her message on Jo's voice-mail. "Bring Sanders, too."

Isabella looked up and saw Jo and Carter working their way around the path. She climbed the hill, holding onto branches and roots as she pulled herself up onto the path.

"It's down this way!" she called, cupping her hands over her mouth. The grate had been too heavy for both she and Lindsay to lift by themselves. She led them down the hill and onto the grate.

"Isabella literally landed on this place," Lindsay said, looking up at the trio. Her warm brown eyes were dancing with amusement. Isabella stuck her tongue out at her friend before helping the other three lift up the grate and move it over. A ladder led down into the hole, stretching into darkness.

"Think we should go down?" Isabella asked, bending onto her heels and peering down into the uncovered hole.

"One of us would have to stay up here and keep an eye out. Since this guy is connected, we don't want the Russian Mob to catch our scent," Carter suggested. Isabella nodded approvingly at the other man.

"I'll even stay up here," he offered. Isabella smiled and flipped open her kit, where she kept extra rounds of ammunition, just in case. She slid a holster into her boot, shifting her leg to accommodate the bulky magazine.

"Here, let's at least call Mac and let him know what we've found," she suggested, flipping out her phone.

"I'll do it," Jo offered. Isabella stuck her flashlight into her mouth and set her foot on the first rung of the ladder. She gave a saluting wave before lowering herself into the darkness. When she reached the bottom, she took the flashlight out of her mouth and pulled her Glock out of its holster on her hip, shining the light and pointing the gun lower.

It was dry underfoot, but it still gave Isabella the creeps. When she heard more footsteps behind her, she looked to see Lindsay's face illuminated by the flashlight.

"Split up?" she suggested. Isabella shook her head.

"Let's stay together," she said. She could feel Lindsay's breath and the shuffle of her feet on the concrete as they moved their way through the cave...or whatever it was called.

The light at the end of the tunnel let her shut off her flashlight and she felt a muzzle press against the small of her back.


End file.
